Ski attachment to prevent loose skis from sliding down grade



Aug 22, 1961 W. J. VAN NATTER 2,997,309

SKI ATTACHMENT TO PREVENT LOOSE SKIS FROM SLIDING DOWN GRADE Filed May 6, 1959 INVENTOR.

@ea/C. )Wa/M ATTORNEYl 2,997,309 SKI A'ITACHlVIENT T0 PREVENT LOOSE SKIS FROM SLIDING DOWN GRADE William J. Van Natter, 1334 Terry Ave., Seattle 1, Wash. Filed May 6, 1959, Ser. No. 811,340 7 Claims. (Cl. 280--11.13)

My invention relates to a ski attachment to prevent loose skis from sliding or coasting down grade.

It is common practice to attach skis to ski boots by binding means which, to minimize danger of injury to the user, is self releasing and will leave the ski free `from the boot if the binding means is subjected to strains substantially greater than the strains of normal use. If such a ski becomes detached from the boot it will sometimm slide or coast down grade and may attain a high rate of speed. This can be a menace to persons whov are in the path of movement of the run-away ski and it is an inconvenience to the user who has to recover the ski.

To prevent a ski which becomes detached from the boot from running away the user will sometimes use a loose pliable time member and tie the ski to the foot. This can result in injury to the user since a ski which is detached from .the boot, if loosely tied to the foot may strike and injure the user with its sharp corners and edges.

A primary object of my invention is to provide a ski attachment which will prevent the ski from coasting in the event it becomes detached from the boot of the user while on a grade on which the ski would otherwise tend to slide.

Another object is to provide a simple and efficient brake attachment of light weight which may be readily installed on a ski, which does not interfere with the normal use and operation of the ski and which will stop and hold the ski or turn the ski over so it will not slide or coast if the ski becomes detached from the boot of the user on a slope where the ski would otherwise tend to coast.

Another object is to provide a ski attachment in the form of a brake which is normally held in an inoperative /position by the boot of the user as long as the boot is connected by the ski Ibinding with the ski but which will instantly assume an operative or braking position if the boot leaves the ski.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a ski provided with my attachment and showing the attachment held in an inoperative position by a boot which rests on and is secured to the ski.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the ski with the boot omitted and the attachment shown in an operative or braking position.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. l except that it shows an attachment or brake lever mounted on the ski in a different position.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation, with parts broken away, showing :a ski attachment of modified form in which a brake lever is mounted in a frame and the frame is attached to an edge of a ski.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan View taken. on line 5--5 of FIG. 4, parts being shown in section.

FIG. 6 is a View partly in elevation and partly in section of another attachment device of modified form showing the same installed in a longitudinal slot in a ski.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view taken on line 7--7 ofi FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken on broken line 8;-8 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a detached end view of ya brakelever of theA rikice type shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, said lever having -a curved end portion.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show an embodiment of my invention comprising a ski 12 to which a ski boot '13 can be attached in a predetermined position by lbinding means of yany conventional type which is capable of releasing the boot when subjected to an abnormal strain and before injury results to Ithe user. Numerous ski binding devices which function in this manner are well known in the art and FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show, diagrammatically, a binding means which consists of a releasable heel engaging device 14 and a releasable toe engaging device 15. 'I'he ski boot has a sole 13' which usually is wider than the ski 12 and overhangs the edges of the ski.

In accord-ance with my invention I mount on an edge of the ski 12, adjacent the predetermined location where the boot rests on the ski, a brake lever 16 which has a boot engaging end portion `17 and another longer end portion I18 that is capable of functioningk as a brake. A bearing member 20, which may .be a screw or pin, is rigid with the ski 12 and pivotally supports the brake lever `16. Preferably the bearing member 20 is positioned near the boot engaging end 17 of the lever 16.

Preferably the brake lever 16 is at `and approximately straight and of -a width slightly less than the thickness of the ski 12 so that when said lever E16 lis held in an inoperative or non-braking position parallel to the ski no part of said lever will extend below the plane of the bottom surface of the ski or much above the plane of the top surface of the ski. Also preferably the longer end portion A18 of said lever terminates in a transversely curved or bent end part 21, see FIG. 9, which increases the eieiency of the lever, both as respects stopping the ski and turning it at least part way over. The bent part 21 is herein shown on the lower edge or corner of the lever 16 but obviously it can be on the upper edge or corner of said lever. The lever 16 can ,be made left and right, the only difference being in the bend 2'1.

A spring 22 is connected with the lever 16 and exerts thereon a yielding torque which tends to angularly move the lever so that the longer end portion 18 of said lever -16 will protrude below the bottom plane of the ski.. Preferably the lever 16 is installed so that when it is inoperative and in engagement with the sole l13' of the boot 13 its longer end extends rearwardly, as shown in FIGS. l and 2. However,y its position may be reversedso that its `longer end extends forwardly, as shown in FIG. 3, when said lever is being held in -an inoperative position by engagement with the boot.

Preferably a stop member 25, FIGS. l and 2, -is rigidly attached tothe ski and lpositioned so that it will limit angular movement of the lever 16 and stop said4 lever '16 in a position about crosswise of the ski, as shown. in FIG. 2. A similar stop member 25 is provided: in FIG.. 3 to stop lthe lever 16` in about the position in which itis shown by dot and dash lines in said FIG. 3.

In the use of the device shown in FIGS. l and 2',.wl1'eri the ski 12 is attached to the boot 13 the shorter end I7y of the lever 16 will be under the overhanging edge of the boot sole 13 and the lever will be held inoperative. If an unusually severe strain pulls the ski I2' loose from the boot 13 the spring 22 will swing the longer end portion 18 of the lever 16 downwardly and cause it to dig into the snow or ice. On ordinary slopes this will usually prevent the ski from coasting or will turn it on its side, in which position it will not coast.

When, as in FIGS. l and 2, the brake lever 16 is' applied to the ski so that its longer end 18 extends rearwardlyv urges said longer end downwardly and forwardly an'dY the brake lever is released by the boot this spring force will yieldingly tend -to hold the lever 16 in the FIG. 2 braking position against the pressure of the snow. If said brake lever 16 is installed in the position shown in FIG. 3, with the longer end 118 thereof extending forwardly when inoperative, then when said lever is released the longer end118 will tend to dig into the snow but the lever does not depend on the pressure of the spring 22 -to hold it against the snow and said lever will come to rest against the stop member 25.

In the structure shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 a brake lever 26 similar to the lever 16 and having a curved terminal part 26 similar to the part 21 is assembled in a frame between two spaced apart parallel side plates 27 and 28'. Preferably the end portions 30 of plates 27 andl 28 are overlapped and rigidly secured together to provide a unit construction and said ends 30 are suitably perforated for the reception of screws 31 and 31' by which the frame may be secured to the edge of a ski 12. The brake lever 26 is mounted on a transverse bearing member 32 which is supported by the side plates 27 and 28. A spring 313 has a loop 34 supported on the bearing member 32. The spring 33 has one end engaged with a pin 35 which is fixed to the lever 26 and the other end engaged with a pin 36 which is fixed to the frame plates 27 and 28. The spring 33 exerts a torque on the lever 26 tending to rotatively move said lever anti-clockwise from the position in which it is shown in FIG. 4. A stop member 37 rigid with frame plates 27 and 28 limits angular movement of the lever 26 by the spring 33. The attachment shown in FIGS. 4 and can be positioned on the ski either with its longer entl` extending rearwardly when inoperative, as shown, or with its longer end extending forwardly in the same manner as lever 16 shown in FIG. 3.

When skis equipped with my attachments are not in use the brake levers thereof will tend to assume a position crosswise of the ski. Usually this is not particularly objectionable but in FIGS. 4 and 5 I show a quickly and easily operated latch device which can be used to latch the lever 26 in a shielded position between the two side frame members 27 and 28 and parallel to the ski. This latch device comprises a wire latch member having a longer arm 51 extending slidably` through a perforation S2 in an inclined part of the frame member 28 and terminating in a forward end part 5-3 which can be engaged within a notch 54 in the adjacent end of the lever arm 26. The rear end portion of the longer latch arm 51 is bent in the form of an elongated open loop 55 which fits slidably over a shoulder portion 56 of the screw 31, the shoulder portion 56 being of larger diameter than the shank of said screw. The terminal part of the loop 55 is bent outwardly to form a linger piece 57 by which the latch member may be moved into either an engaged or a disengaged position relative to the notch 54. The latch device is formed of resilient material and the loop 55 binds frictionally on the shoulder part 56 of screw 31 with enough force to prevent inadvertent latching and unlatchin-g movement of said latch device. Also one or more parts of said loop can be slightly bowed outwardly, as shown at 58, to iirmly but yieldingly engage the screw shoulder 56. This will hold the latch member in either an engaged or a disengaged position. The latch device is retracted when the ski is in use.

The operation of the device shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is similar to the operation of the device shown in FIGS. l and 2 when said device is installed so that the longer end portion of the lever 26 extends rearwardly when inoperative. If the position of this device on the ski is reversed end for end then its operation is similar to the operation of the dewce shown in FIG. 3.

The structure shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 is similar to that shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 except that it is designed to be installedin a longitudinally extending slot 40 in a ski 12'. This leaves the edges of the ski unobstructed and consequently this form of the invention is well adapted for use with skis which have ski binding parts located on or extending along the edges of said skis. Said FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show a frame comprising two parallel side plates 41 and 42 spaced a short distance apart by spacer members 43 which are disposed between the ends of said side plates and rigidly secured thereto. Transverse anges 44 are provided on the upper edges of the side plates 41 and 42 for the reception of screws 4S by which the frame is secured to the ski 12'. A brake lever 46 is disposed between the plates 41 and 42 and pivotally mounted on a transverse bearing member 47. A spring 48 anchored on a cross pin 49 and held against rotation on said pin 49 t by a stop pin 50 tends to rotatively move the lever 46 in l wider and the end of brake lever 46 can have a curved part Vsimilar to the curved part 21 of lever 16 if desired. The slot 40 can be in the medial plane of the ski or at any point between the two edges of said ski.

The device shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 can be installed on the Ski with either ena of the lever 46 forwardly directed and the operation of this device is similar to the operation of the device shown in FIGS. l, 2 and 3 and previously described.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings disclose preferred embodiments of my invention but it will be understood that changes may be made within the scopeA ofthe following claims.

I claim:

l. The combination with a ski having releasable securing means whereby a ski boot can be attached thereto in a predetermined position on the ski with part of the boot overhanging an edge of the ski, of a pivot member rigid with the ski and protruding from an edge of said ski between the top and bottom planes of the ski; a brake lever pivotally mounted on said pivot member and having a part thereof positioned closely beneath the predetermined position occupied by the overhanging part of the boot; a spring engaging the brake lever urging the lever into an outwardly protruding braking position relative to the bottom plane of the ski; and a stop member rigid with and protruding from the edge of the ski limiting pivotal movement of the brake lever in one direction to a braking position, said lever being held in an inoperative position entirely above the bottom plane of the ski when said lever is engaged by a boot on the ski.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said brake lever is substantially straight and llat throughout the major portion of its length and terminates in a transversely outwardly curved end portion and in which said lever is mounted on the edge of a ski in providing a brake which will tend to turn the ski over when it protrudes from the bottom plane of the ski.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim l in which the brake lever is pivotally mounted in a frame of a width not in excess of the thickness of the ski and the frame is secured to an edge of the ski.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which a manually operated readily releasable latch member is provided to lock said brake lever in a position parallel with the ski.

5. The combination with a ski having releasable securing means capable of releasably securing a ski boot to said ski in a predetermined position with part of the boot overhanging an edge of the ski, of a brake lever of a width not in excess of the thickness of the ski capable of extending longitudinally of the ski `and positioned alongside of the ski with its forward end engaging the overhanging part of the ski boot when the boot is on the ski, whereby the boot holds the brake lever inoperative and substantially parallel with the ski when the boot is on the ski; a bearing member rigid with and protruding from an edge of the ski between the top and bottom plane of the ski land positioned adjacent the forward end of the brake lever and pivotally connecting the brake lever with the ski; a spring exerting a yielding torque on said brake lever tending to move the rear end of said brake lever downwardly and forwardly into a braking position when the ski is separated from the boot; and va stop member rigid with and protruding from the edge of the ski limiting pivotal movement of the brake lever in one direction to the braking position.

6. The combination with a ski having releasable securing means capable of releasably securing a ski boot thereto in a predetermined position with a part of the boot overhanging an edge of the ski, of a brake lever capable of extending longitudinally of the ski and positioned alongside of the ski with its rearmost end closely beneath the predetermined position occupied by the overhanging part of the ski boot when the boot is on the ski, whereby the boot engages said rearmost end of said lever and holds the lever inoperative and substantially parallel with the ski when the boot is on the ski; a bearing member rigid with and protruding from an edge of the ski between the top and bottom plane of the ski and positioned adjacent the rearmost end of the brake lever pivotally connecting the brake lever with the ski; a spring exerting a yielding torque on said brake lever tending to move the forward end of said brake lever downwardly and rearwardly into a braking position when the ski is separated from the boot; and a stop member rigid with the ski positioned to stop angular movement in one direction of said lever with the lever substantially crosswise of the ski.

7. The combination with a ski having releasable binding means capable of releasably securing a ski boot to said ski in a predetermined positioned and having a longitudinally extending narrow slot disposed at least partly beneath the predetermined position where the ski boot is received on the ski, of a narrow frame disposed in said slot and secured to said ski, said frame having two parallel sides which are spaced a short distance apart; a brake lever disposed between the two sides of said frame, at leas-t one end of said brake lever being positioned closely beneath a boot when the boot is attached to the ski for holding the lever inoperative and -substantially parallel to the ski when the boot is on the ski; a transverse bearing member pivotally mounting the lever in the frame near the end of the lever engaged by the boot; and a spring positioned between the sides of said frame engaging said lever and exerting a torque on the lever tending to move the boot engaging end of the lever upwardly and the other end of the lever downwardly into an outwardly projecting position relative to the bottom of the ski.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,791,397 Berglund Feb. 3, 1931 2,788,981 Emerson Apr. 16, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 63,927 Austria Mar. 10, 1914 81,186 Austria Aug. 25, 1920 144,581 Austria Feb. 10, 1936 660,942 France Feb. 26, 1929 72,515 Norway Sept. l, 1947 121,299 Sweden Mar. 23, 1948 

